The invention concerns an arrangement for the wireless connection of at least two devices, each being configured with a sensor for receiving a signal, a data connection element for providing a data transmission channel between the devices, and a control element.
The invention moreover concerns a method for the wireless connection of the devices.
Electronic devices known to the prior art are configured to communicate with each other and mutually provide various functions to each other. For the exchanging of functions with each other and for the joint execution of the functions, the devices need to be coupled, electronically connected and brought to communicate with each other so that the devices recognize each other in order to function together.
The functions provided by the devices to each other involve, for example, the establishing of a telephone connection, the providing of a microphone or a loudspeaker or a voice recognition, as well as the transmittal of music files and the playing of music.
Traditional electronic devices are joined together by electrical cables. The inserting of the cable into the device is an act of will power of the user to connect the devices. The devices recognize each other via the cable connection.
In known environments with a wireless connection, a plurality of devices are usually situated in the reception range of each individual device, but not every device can communicate with every other device, nor is this desired.
In wireless connections, the devices each time are manually connected to each other by a menu. The selection of the desired device occurs through a list provided with devices recognized from the surroundings. The list contains devices which are unknown, incomprehensible and meaningless for a desired connection, especially device names or designations from which the connection partner needs to be selected.
After the selection of the desired device and the making of the connection, various connection options need to be set in the devices. Furthermore, the functions being executed can be selected from another list.
Wireless connections of devices are likewise known from the prior art, wherein the devices for the connection are placed in contact with each other, moved together, shaken or pushed against each other.
A device connection is described in US 2012/0190299 A1 in which a control unit and the devices being connected to the control unit are stacked one on the other or placed in contact one on the other. In the control unit, data of certain vibration waveforms generated by touching the housing are stored as reference data. The wireless connection of the devices is based consequently on the detecting and recognizing of vibrations with different yet distinct waveforms that are sent out by the devices being connected to the control unit. The recognized vibration waveforms are sent back as signals to the control unit, compared in the control unit, and if they agree with at least one stored vibration waveform the devices are connected to each other.
A method for initiating a wireless data exchange between two devices is presented by WO 2010/23459 A1. The devices each have a sensor for recognizing an impact or a vibration. Each device recognizes a vibration produced by another device and receives the data characterizing the vibration, which is exchanged between them. After a comparison of the data produced by the vibration with the data received and the recognizing of a mutual impact in this way, the devices are connected for a data exchange. The impact on the housings of the devices is transmitted as sonic waves to the sensor, which are in turn recorded by the sensor.
WO 2013/98262 A1 pertains to a wireless connection system for the transmission of audio signals in which at least two of three devices are each configured with a microphone. The transmittal of the audio signals is triggered when the two devices having a microphone are pushed against each other and the microphones recognize the resulting impact noises at the same time.
US 2011/0126014 A1 discloses a wireless connection of devices in which the devices are stimulated to make contact with each other by a physical event, such as being pushed together. The collision generates and sends out a noise, which is received by the devices being connected and processed as a signal via microphones. Furthermore, information as to the time of the physical event is exchanged between the devices, which is likewise used for the authentication of the devices. After a successful authentication, the devices are connected together.
In the systems for wireless connection of devices that are known in the prior art the selection of the desired device entering into the connection is done on the one hand through lists with devices recognized from the surroundings, which contain devices which are unknown to the user and incomprehensible, and of no meaning to the desired connection.
Furthermore, many functions of the devices remain unused, since the perceived learning effort to operate the devices seems quite tedious to the user and distracts him from his primary interest. For example, the presentation of content of a tablet PC on a television set is used little if at all, since the users are unfamiliar with the settings of the television set and/or the tablet PC. The same is true of speakerphone devices in an automobile or a contact data transmittal between mobile telephones.
On the other hand, the devices are wirelessly connected after a generating and comparing of signals, where the comparison of the signals is very uncertain, so that the providing of the desired connection of the devices may be defective, for example, if the signals deviate from the signals which are stored. Furthermore, signals needs to be stored, which makes the connection cumbersome.